Tokyo, Dec. 16 (Jiji Press)–The Diet, Japan’s parliament, on Tuesday enacted the government’s 18.3-trillion-yen supplementary budget for fiscal 2025, which will finance the first comprehensive economic package under the leadership of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. General-account spending under the extra budget totals

Tokyo, Dec. 16 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s Justice Ministry presented a draft plan to revise the retrial system at a meeting of a subgroup of the Legislative Council on Tuesday. The ministry included two options on each of the major topics where there are

Tokyo, Dec. 16 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s government and ruling coalition plan to suspend the tax levied on automobiles in accordance with their fuel efficiency for two years from fiscal 2026, it was learned Tuesday. The government and the coalition of the ruling Liberal

Tokyo, Dec. 16 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s ruling parties started discussions on Monday to ease the country’s restrictions on exports of defense equipment. The Liberal Democratic Party and the Japan Innovation Party, also known as Nippon Ishin no Kai, agreed to abolish existing rules

Tokyo, Dec. 16 (Jiji Press)–The Japan Association of Corporate Executives, or Keizai Doyukai, decided Tuesday to appoint IBM Japan Ltd. General Manager and President Akio Yamaguchi as its new chairman. Yamaguchi, 61, will assume the post, which has been vacant since Takeshi

Tokyo, Dec. 16 (Jiji Press)–Tokyo police arrested a 39-year-old man, his wife and his common-law wife Tuesday over allegedly secretly filming his sexual intercourse with another woman in her 20s and posting the footage on a video-sharing site. The man, Yohei Ono,

Tokyo, Dec. 16 (Jiji Press)–The current session of the Diet, Japan’s parliament, is expected to end on Wednesday as scheduled, as the ruling Liberal Democratic Party is now negative about an extension. The LDP thinks that even if the Diet session is

Tokyo, Dec. 16 (Jiji Press)–The number of cases of groundwater use apparently by foreign individuals or entities totaled 49 in one prefecture and 11 municipalities in Japan as of October, a government survey showed Tuesday. The total included two planned cases. The

Tokyo, Dec. 16 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s industry ministry plans to establish a system under which municipalities certify businesses in depopulated areas that provide essential services vital to daily life, such as medical and nursing care, and retail, it was learned Tuesday. With the

Tokyo, Dec. 16 (Jiji Press)–Japan will improve its weather advisory and warning system by creating a new category applied in the event of Level 4 emergencies for which municipalities issue evacuation orders, the government said Tuesday. The Japan Meteorological Agency and the

(The fifth paragraph should have read, “…were confirmed…,” instead of as sent. A substitute story follows.) China Largest Foreign Buyers of Land near Japan Security Areas Tokyo, Dec. 16 (Jiji Press)–Chinese individuals and entities accounted for the largest share of non-Japanese buyers

Tokyo, Dec. 16 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government plans to require new owners to provide nationality information when registering real estate, Justice Minister Hiroshi Hiraguchi said Tuesday. The nationality information will be used to analyze foreign acquisitions of land and buildings in Japan.

Osaka, Dec. 16 (Jiji Press)–Four years after a deadly arson attack on a psychosomatic clinic in the western Japan city of Osaka, the sister of the clinic’s then 49-year-old director is helping rehabilitate inmates, as well as people suffering from drug addiction.

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(Adnkronos) – Italy’s foreign minister Antonio Tajani will on Tuesday take part in the 2025 Sakharov prize ceremony which is being live-streamed from the European Parliament’s plenary chamber in Strasbourg.   Tajani and cabinet under-secretary Alberto Barachini will address the event via

(Adnkronos) – Venezuela’s national oil company, Pdvsa, has denounced a “despicable” cyber attack against its installations, pointing to the United States as possible perpetrators of these actions, aimed at “stopping the company’s activity.” “Thanks to the expertise of Pdvsa’s human talent, operational

(Adnkronos) – The European Union has activated an emergency air bridge, with a total of eight flights, to deliver humanitarian aid to Darfur. The European Commission announced this in a statement, emphasizing that the Sudanese region is affected by mass atrocities, famine,

(Adnkronos) – Saudi Arabia set a new record in 2025 for the number of death sentences executed in a single year. According to an AFP count, 340 people were executed in the kingdom this year. This is the second consecutive year that

(Adnkronos) – The political climate in Bangladesh remains tense, where on February 12 voters will be called to the polls for parliamentary elections and a referendum on reforms, on the so-called ‘July Charter’. Sharif Osman Hadi, one of the faces of the

(Adnkronos) – In Thailand, once again the protagonist of an escalation on the border with Cambodia, voters will be called to the polls on February 8 for early elections. The voting date, reports the Bangkok Post, was announced by the Electoral Commission

(Adnkronos) – There are more than 30 dead due to the latest escalation on the border between Thailand and Cambodia. Bangkok confirmed a toll of 17 dead, three civilians and 14 soldiers, while Phnom Penh reported 15 victims.  The Cambodian Minister of

(Adnkronos) – Australian counter-terrorism investigators are examining the links of the Sydney attackers with the Islamic State after authorities determined that the Bondi Beach killers had pledged allegiance to Isis and that a flag would have been found in their vehicle, according

(Adnkronos) – The EU Council has extended the duration of restrictive measures against Venezuela for another year, until January 10, 2027. The decision was taken in light of “persistent actions” that undermine democracy and the rule of law, as well as “continuous

(Adnkronos) – New protest at the Louvre. Employees of the Parisian museum, the most visited in the world, have unanimously voted for a strike day, today, to denounce the deterioration of public services, announced the Cgt and Cfdt unions.  

(Adnkronos) – The Australian government has decided to reform gun law after the Bondi Beach massacre, on the outskirts of Sydney, after at least 15 people were killed by two men, father and son, who shot at people gathered to celebrate Hanukkah.

Fukuoka, Dec. 15 (Jiji Press)–A man in his 70s was stabbed in the southwestern Japan city of Fukuoka on Monday evening, and his 37-year-old unemployed son was later arrested on suspicion of violating the swords and firearms control law. At around 6:10

(Adnkronos) – Africa is “a top strategic priority” for Italy, which has boosted its role in the continent in the past year including in “often-forgotten conflicts” like Sudan and other Sahel countries, foreign minister Antonio Tajani said on monday.  “We have consolidated

(Adnkronos) – Tokyo, Kyoto, temples, neon lights, crowds. For many, Japan is nothing more than this. But in the north, Hokkaido offers a completely different experience. It’s a journey where the sounds of silence, open spaces, and nature are the protagonists. While

Tokyo, Dec. 15 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party on Monday compiled a draft proposal calling for an end to government support for large-scale solar power plants, in light of growing concerns over environmental damage and landscape degradation. The draft proposal, adopted

Tokyo, Dec. 15 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party and its coalition partner, the Japan Innovation Party (Nippon Ishin no Kai), decided Monday to reconsider the route of the planned Hokuriku Shinkansen section between Tsuruga Station in the central prefecture of Fukui